![]() ![]() It not only makes learning relevant to them, but it provides an opportunity to bring their personal experiences to the table. ![]() Using phenomena within the classroom opens doors for our students. “Phenomenon” is more than just a fancy new educational buzzword. What observations can they make? What’s the reason for our results? How could this relate to a “limiting” reagent? How might this relate to the failure of a recipe? These questions encourage connections between our lesson level focus and our chapter level investigative phenomenon. For example, when introducing limiting reagents in our stoichiometry chapter, I ask students to observe a candle burning in a bell jar. Short teacher demonstrations are a great way to engage students while also connecting what they already know to what they’re about to learn. Everyday phenomena can be used to introduce a lesson and relate to the students’ own personal experiences. ![]() The student experience can further be personalized through the use of an everyday phenomenon. Providing a solution to this question will help students make sense of the anchoring phenomenon, yet it also provides a real-world focus for our chapter investigation. When introducing my students to stoichiometry, my first question is this, “ What can make a recipe fail? ” This is our investigative phenomenon. Students will investigate several chapters to support their understanding of chemical reactions and in providing a solution to the question “ How can we produce better foods? ” One such chapter focuses on stoichiometry. These investigative phenomena support understanding of the anchoring phenomenon, while also standing on their own within their instructional sequence. To create further focus at the traditional chapter level of learning, teachers may choose to implement an investigative phenomenon. For example, when beginning a unit focused on understanding chemical reactions, I would ask my students “ How can we produce better foods? ” I want them to relate cooking, something they likely have some sort of experience with, to chemical reactions with this anchoring phenomenon. Anchoring phenomena typically span the length of a unit, allowing for students to make connections between chapters of learning. To create a real-world connection across a large learning block, teachers can use an anchoring phenomenon. There are three different instructional levels of phenomena: Anchoring Phenomena When implementing phenomena-based instruction, it’s important to consider the time students will spend using it to drive learning. When students are asked to make sense of phenomena using what they learn about a new concept, it leads to deeper understanding. Knowledge and understanding of these natural events help them develop solutions. Scientists and engineers provide solutions for everyday problems created by phenomena. ![]() Focusing on the “Science of doing” in curriculum better translates to real-life science and engineering practices and is meant to mirror what scientists and engineers do on a daily basis. The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) demand that students demonstrate more understanding about the “doing” of science rather than only the facts of science. When students relate learning with a phenomenon, they shift from learning facts about a concept to developing an understanding of the how and the why behind that concept. With the implementation of three-dimensional teaching, educators have found that using these real-world events, or phenomena, within their classrooms promotes connections between students’ prior knowledge and experiences to key science concepts. The term phenomenon-defined as a naturally occurring event-is finding its way into our instructional vernacular. ![]()
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